The Witcher: Grinding Experience Starting as a Wolf School Witcher

The night was pitch black, and the calls of night owls echoed through the pine forest.

In the Troll Mountains, Vesemir and Eskar rode side by side on horseback through the ancient forest.

Horse hooves trod on moss-covered green rocks, surrounded by thickets of black thorn bushes, and the wind blew through their hair.

"Old man, I remember when I came down the mountain, didn't Kael'thas have six apprentices with him?"

Vesemir lifted the branch blocking his way with his hand, paused for a moment, and then spoke calmly.

"Brad, he is the son of a prostitute from the Kingdom of Cordwin."

"The poor fellow was born without knowing who his father was and was abandoned by his mother. He died at the hands of a monster five days after the summer solstice this year."

He sighed. "This child was extremely competitive, but too reckless. By the time I found him, he was already dead."

When Eskar heard the name, he recalled a gray-haired boy who was fairly good-looking.

He vaguely remembered that during the "Choice" period, Brad was so hungry that he stole bread from the kitchen and was severely punished when he saw him.

His mutated body suppressed his inner grief.

He had seen far too many of his comrades' corpses.

The two crossed a narrow log path formed by fallen logs, with the sound of rushing water from the stream.

Vesemir glanced at the stars in the sky: "We're not far from the Elemental Ring, Eskar. How many apprentices do you think will arrive here this year?"

Aiskar tightened the reins and increased the speed slightly.

"Based on the Witcher's records from previous years, it's one or two people."

Vesemir let out a chuckle.

Eskar hesitated for a moment: "Isn't that so?"

Vesemir did not respond.

Eskar frowned, recalling the black-haired boy he had met on the banks of the White Stone River earlier that day.

"Arwin, is it because of him?"

Vesemir tilted his head. "Oh, why do you think so?"

"He killed a swamp witch down the mountain. I examined the wound; it was very clean and skillful. If it weren't for the lack of the Witcher's badge, I would have thought it was your or Geralt's doing."

Vesemir said, "That boy is steady in his work and never does anything without being sure of success."

"He was the strongest among the five apprentices, but he didn't compete or fight for anything, and was even willing to share the experience he learned in his daily life."

Do you remember Aiken?

"That blond, green-eyed brat? Of course I remember him. He challenged me with a wooden sword before, spouting knightly honor, and I beat him to a pulp."

"Heh, even such a troublemaker is completely convinced by Alwin."

"Witchers are not lone hunters, but packs of wolves."

"Simple water ghosts no longer pose a threat to them. As long as they don't anger 'Old Spearhead,' I believe they can all succeed."

Eskar was surprised; he rarely saw Vesemir speak so highly of anyone.

"You mean, he has the leadership potential to lead Kaer Mohen, just like you?"

Vesemir scoffed, "After coming down from the mountain, you've even learned to say flattering things."

"Hehe, wishing you good health."

"You wretched brat, if you keep talking like that, you'll have to kiss my butt."

The two laughed heartily. Vesemir clamped his legs around the horse's belly and looked at the platform made of granite not far in front of him.

"We've arrived at the Elemental Ring." Eskar looked up.

"Um."

Two pairs of amber cat eyes gazed at the lake below the mountain.

Under the pitch-black night sky, five teenagers dressed in black leather jackets walked along the edge of a lake.

The lake water reached their knees, and with each step they took, ripples spread across the surface.

Killer Lake, also the only way to reach the top of "Troll" Mountain and the Elemental Ring, is teeming with monsters.

However, as long as you don't rush into the deep water in the center of the lake, you'll only encounter low-level monsters like water ghosts.

Alwin led the team, forming a triangular formation with Paul and Horton, acting as the lead-out strikers.

Aiken and Winston followed side by side behind, filling in and bringing up the rear.

The five cat-like figures constantly scanned their surroundings, their silver swords already coated with ghoul-eating sword oil and stained with the filthy blood of water ghosts.

The dense reeds swayed in the autumn wind, and a few pairs of dark green eyes peeked out from among them.

"Hehe!"

A blue shadow burst forth, followed by a silver light.

A water ghost's head fell into the water, making a splashing sound.

Alwin remained calm. Several more splashing sounds followed, and the water sprites that tried to break through the formation were thwarted by their teammates behind them with a few sword strikes.

The crimson blood stained the lake water, but the group did not stop and continued to move forward steadily.

After a year of working together, the five became increasingly in sync and successfully reached the other side of Killer Lake in just one hour.

Alwin looked with his cat eyes at a clearing under the pine forest ahead, then glanced at the sky.

Dark clouds covered the sky, obscuring the moon, but it was still clear that it was just past midnight.

He raised his fist, and everyone stopped in their tracks.

"We arrived here faster than expected, as planned."

"Rest here for an hour, eat a little dry food, apply sword oil where necessary, and check the [Cat] potion to make sure nothing is missing. We'll be entering the cave soon."

Aiken and the others immediately did as instructed.

Alwin scanned his surroundings, alerting him to even the slightest disturbance.

Finally, his gaze settled on a dark cave in the distance.

That was Old Spearhead's house.

As a cyclops, Old Spearhead had killed countless generations of apprentices.

Some were simply unlucky, while others overestimated their abilities.

Although he possessed the system, he was self-aware enough to know that with his current strength, he was no match for the old spearhead.

The best course of action would be to wait patiently until Old Spearhead was fast asleep in the middle of the night, then use the night vision provided by the [Cat] potion to sneak over.

As for the Cyclops mutants, they may smell delicious, but you need to be alive to enjoy them.

First, focus on gaining experience. Once you have a firm grasp of the situation, then try to overcome your weaknesses and obtain what you want.

As a time traveler, why take any risks? Minimizing risks is the right way to go.

"Arwen!"

Paul's voice pulled Alwin back to reality.

"Damn it, look over there." Paul pointed to the top of the mountain.

Alwin stared into the distance with his cat-like eyes.

Above the mountaintop, a huge cloud of mist, like collapsing snow, rapidly swept down towards the foot of the mountain.

"It's getting foggy."

Alwin frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.

The fog not only impairs visibility but also breeds terrifying monsters, greatly reducing the team's safety.

"Waaaaah..."

A mournful cry suddenly rang out, making everyone's heart skip a beat.

"Aiken... Waaah... Where are you?"

"It's so dark here... I'm so scared..."

"Someone save me... I'm so cold..."

Upon hearing this sound, Alwin's silent gray cat eyes narrowed to pinpoints, and his hand instinctively tightened its grip on the sword hilt.

He uttered a word softly.

"Little Mist Fairy!"